Why It’s Important to Take a Time Out From Business

The Easter holiday is here, are you ready to take a time out from work?

From the moment you start your business, you’ll often end up thinking about maintaining revenue and profits. Along with strategizing your marketing plans, improving your leadership, making sure that your team is well taken care of and more.

Your schedule is so jam-packed with tasks or meetings, that you won’t have time to just sit back and relax… even just for a bit.

Sometimes, when we’re so overwhelmed with work, we would want to take leave. But then we find ourselves feeling guilty when we do take a time off from work. Oh, the irony!

We’re so used to running ourselves into the ground that even in our dreams we are still working.

According to studies, one-third of professionals say that they don’t have enough vacation time, more than 40% percent of employees don’t use their leaves at all, because they’re afraid there will be too many tasks waiting for them when they return, and 35% takes fewer or no days off because they feel guilty handing over their tasks to their colleagues.

However, this is not the right way to make your business work!

Here are some reasons why it’s important for everyone to take some time out from work:

1. Clears Your Head

Most businessmen today don’t really have a clear idea “why” they are doing what they are doing. They just know that they have a product or service that they have to sell at a profit.

Having a clear idea of what you want for your business doesn’t happen if you’re in the middle of juggling tasks and attending multiple meetings.

It happens when you step back and really think about your “reason for being”, your goals and how to reach them.

2. Boosts Effectivity and Focus

A study shows that even a brief diversion from work can improve one’s ability to focus on their tasks for prolonged periods.

Doing the same thing over and over again will be registered in our brains as something unimportant… to the point that we don’t think about it anymore.

Unfortunately, the human brain is not built to stay focused for an extended period. And the only way to fix this is to take a time out and hit refresh.

3. Improves Decision Making

Sometimes, we are so wrapped up in our tasks and problems that we don’t get to see past them anymore. But when we take time out, we have the opportunity to ask ourselves whether our choices and decisions are good or not.

It doesn’t mean that taking longer to make decisions is better. But the extra time that you get from taking a step back when deciding, lets you sort out what’s relevant and what’s just a distraction.

Taking a time out lets you ask the question, “Do I really need this?” That way, you won’t have to waste time working on irrelevant information or tasks.

4. Increases Quality of Life

Yes, it’s important to focus on creating strategies to improve your marketing and finances for your business. But what about the things that you really want to do like skiing, boating, fishing, spending time with family, etc.?

Life is not all about work, most of it probably is, but not all.

Even the rich and famous like Richard Branson don’t earn their money by just working hard. They spend time to do things that make them happy and clears their mind off things. (Note, Warren Buffet plays the ukulele on his free time.)

Consciously separate personal and work life.

You don’t want to wake up one day at your 80s and realize that you’ve spent your whole life just working, and missed out on socializing and spending time with your family.

Taking time to do what you really want will make you feel fulfilled with life and thus, make you happier to go to work.

Besides, when you go overtime from work unless if really necessary, that means that you were not really efficient in the first place to be not able to finish it in time.

5. Helps in Creating New Ideas

Have you experienced getting an idea while you were in the shower or in the loo? Studies show that when our mind is in relaxed or “wander” mode, we are more likely to find insights to our most depressing issues or some random epiphany.

But what makes relaxation different from, for example, being in a classroom (where our minds often wander too)? Well, relaxation is comfortable.

Unfortunately, creative ideas don’t last for a long time. You need a break every now and then to relax your mind. You’ll never know, maybe soon enough you’ll start exclaiming, “Eureka! Eureka!”

6. Reduces Stress

Regardless how much you love working, if your body is tired, you will not be able to think properly. When in business, you need to do a lot of thinking, and you will not be able to think well when you’re stressed.

Taking a time out is the best way to reduce stress. We let machines rest so that it won’t blow up or overheat from being overused.

What about the human body, which is the most complicated machine in all the world?

Stop Thinking That You Are TOO BUSY to Take a Time Out

There’s a saying that states, “If you want it, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.” And I know that most of us want time out from work. So go ahead and take it.

There are lots of ways to take a timeout from the business. You can either take a few minutes every day to refresh your mind, spend holidays not working and really enjoying a vacation.

Whatever works for you, as long as you spend some time not thinking about work and to have some fun. Besides, in order to see the bigger picture, you have to take a step back.